Only Words
by brachan90
Summary: Distraught after causing a fight with her closest friends, Marron idly wishes that she was never born, and is plunged into a world where she never existed.
1. Consequences

Only Words

So, who thinks Marron is a useless character? Too many people, that's who. This is a little fic to show how sometimes the most minor person can make a huge difference. It was inspired by the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called "The Wish", where Cordelia wishes that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale, and Anyanka grants it. But, of course, there won't be any Vengeance Demons in this fic ^-^

I don't own DBZ or any related characters. The title comes from the song "Words" which is owned by the Bee Gees. And an idea that will come up in later chapters is from Vegeta's Lil' Princess' fic "Frozen Beauty". Thank VLP for letting me use the idea!

1: Consequences 

A single moment – that's all it took. One instant, and one simple movement had caused so much pain, so much anger. As Marron thought back to that moment that had passed several hours ago – had it only been that long; it felt like an eternity – she could not believe how much damage had resulted from her stupid mistake.

The day had started out beautifully: a get-together on Kame-sennin's island. The Briefs were there, all the Sons, Yamcha, Ten-shin-han…everyone, even Piccolo! Marron had been so happy. Her best friend, Goten, was there. And of course, Trunks. Marron and Trunks had been dating for months now. Almost as long as Goten and Bra.

Marron hadn't actually been able to spend too much time with Trunks. Both couples had been trying to set up Pan and Uub, so Bra and Marron were talking with Pan, and Trunks and Goten were interrogating Uub.

At least that had gone well. Within an hour, both Pan and Uub had overcome their shyness, and Uub had even put his arm around his new girlfriend.

Of course, the formation of a new couple required a celebration. Bad idea…_very_ bad idea. Marron had never been one to hold her alcohol, and this occasion had not been an exception. While Trunks had gone to find a bucket or something, and Bra was getting a glass of water, Marron had been left in the capable hands of Goten. Since childhood, the two of them had shared a close friendship, something Marron had never had with Trunks, due to his constant teasing.

"You're such a great guy," Marron had slurred to Goten. "Bra's a lucky girl."

"And Trunks is a lucky guy," Goten had calmly replied. They had often had this conversation. With a smile, he kissed her lightly on the forehead.

There was nothing unusual about what followed next. Goten would kiss Marron's nose, and then her lips ever so lightly, but not intimately. They had always done this for as long as they could remember.

The difference this time was Marron's balance – or severe lack there of. As Goten moved for the final peck, Marron's balance faltered, and she fell forward. This had three consequences. The first was that the kiss lasted slightly longer than it should have. The second was, as Goten caught Marron, his left hand ended up in a not-so-appropriate place on her chest. Similarly, Marron's hand, as she tried to stabilize herself, had landed a little too far up Goten's thigh.

Despite all this, the situation would have been fine – that is, if Trunks and Bra hadn't returned at that precise moment.

Realising how bad the situation must have looked, Goten tried to explain himself, but Bra had seen too much. She screamed a string of profanities – some of which, Marron did not know the meaning of – at both "offenders", and stormed from the room in an hysterical fit.

Trunks' reaction, though less vocal, had been much more hurtful. He had stared at his two closest friends with a look of betrayal. When Marron had tried to explain, he had shaken his head, and uttered a single word.

"Don't."

He then mumbled something about going after Bra, and left.

Marron had never felt so awful. Not only did she feel terrible for hurting two of her friends, she felt worthless too. And that was why she had turned on Goten. She needed someone to blame, and he was there.

The screaming match that followed was not a pleasant one, though screaming matches seldom are.

Goten left, the look on his face similar to that on Trunks'. He had just been verbally abused by the two women he cared most for (aside from his mother, of course). 

Pan and Uub had also left in a hurry, when Marron had directed her wrath at them.

And now, Marron was in her room, alone and friendless. She had not told her parents what had happened; she didn't think they would understand. The door was locked, and she refused to open it. As far as Marron was concerned, she did not deserve any sympathy.

"I'm so stupid!" she sobbed into her pillow. "How could I do something so awful to Trunks? To Goten! To Bra! I even screamed at Pan and Uub." Her pillow was soaked through with tears, but she didn't care. "Oh, I wish I had never been born!"

That was Marron's last conscious thought, before she cried herself to sleep.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Marron woke, half hoping that the previous day had simply been a horrible, horrible dream. She _knew_ that it wasn't, but it almost made her feel better to hope. Almost.

The minute she was completely awake, she realised that something was very wrong. Instead of being surrounded by her pink, girly bedroom, Marron was enclosed in the charred wooden skeleton of what had once been a house.

She glanced around anxiously. The ruins were on an island – though it was before dawn, and visibility was poor, she could hear waves softly breaking on the shore, and smell the salt on the air.

"Where am I?" Marron asked the empty breeze.

"Kame House," a voice came in answer.

Marron spun around, only to come face to face with herself. "Who…? What…? Huh…?"

The other Marron smiled. "Very good questions, I must admit. No doubt, you're wondering who I am, and why I look like you. To answer that, I have simply adopted a form that would be familiar to you and no one else."

"Why wouldn't anyone else think you were me?" Marron inquired.

"Because you don't exist."

"I don't…what!?"

"Last night, at approximately 9.08pm, you wished that you had never been born. So, you are now standing in a world where you don't, never have, and never will exist. Thus, on the rare occasion that someone other than you should see me, they will not experience any recognition."

"But…" It was difficult for Marron to comprehend. How could she not exist? "I didn't mean it literally. At least, I don't think I did."

"You should have thought of _that_ earlier," the Pseudo-Marron stated, bluntly. "You never know who might hear you. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Be careful what you wish for; it might just come true'?"

"Can't I just wish that I had been born?"

"Afraid it doesn't work that way. Now onto your next question, which I assume was 'What happened here?'. Your mother, is the answer."

"My mother!? But that's impossible!"

Pseudo-Marron sighed. "I suppose I should probably explain to you what happened. Let's sit down, we might be a while."

Marron and her clone sat down on some large pieces of driftwood that had washed ashore during a high tide.

"Now, where to begin," Pseudo-Marron pondered. "About ten years ago, your mother – one Juuhachigou – reverted to her old evil ways. Why, you ask? Because _you_ were never born."

"How does that affect anything?" Marron asked.

"Simple. Without your birth, Juuhachigou never realised that she had the ability to create, as well as destroy. Her relationship with your father had kept her stable for a while, but in the long run, it just wasn't enough. She destroyed this place, including its inhabitants, then found Juunanagou. Needless to say, he was please to have his old sister back. Together, the went after Goku – their primary mission in the first place."

"Kaasan killed tousan?"

"And Kame-sennin, and Son Goku, and Son ChiChi…wait, Juunanagou might have killed ChiChi, but you get the idea. You have to understand that without the miracle of motherhood, destruction was all that Juuhachigou knew."

"So what happened after that?" Marron timidly asked.

"Juunanagou and Juuhachigou went on a rampage. They're still on it actually. This world is lucky that it has Vegeta. A man with brains, that one." Pseudo-Marron shook her head. "Without him, there would have been no hope. I mean, obviously, everyone had been taken by surprise when Juuhachi suddenly decided to be evil again. They hadn't even had the chance to get used to the idea before she killed Goku. But Vegeta, he was ready."

"He never trusted my okaasan."

"It turned out to be a good thing here. He grabbed all the remaining Saiya-jin, plus Bulma and Videl, and hid them somewhere safe. Piccolo met up with them too – he only just got out in time, when Juunanagou came up to Kami's Lookout and killed Dende."

"Okaasan knew about the Dragonballs, and she must have told oji-san," Marron sighed, putting the puzzle together. When she thought about it, Juuhachigou would have been the worst enemy the Z-warriors had ever faced. She had once been a friend, so some would hold back. And she knew all of their strengths and weaknesses.

"That's right. I don't think I need to tell you that Piccolo's trust for your mother went out the window after that. He took over the leadership after Vegeta's demise…"

"Okaasan and oji-san killed Vegeta too!?"

"Ah…not exactly…" The Pseudo-Marron stood. "Look, I'd love to stay and chat – tell you more, but there are some others on the way that would be better suited to that job. People that have experienced it first hand. So, I'll see you around." And then, she disappeared.

Marron was left alone again, just as the sun crept above the horizon, wondering who the "others" were.

*   *   *   *   *   *

There, first chapter done! Please tell me what you think of it. 


	2. Empty Spaces, Familiar Faces

Only Words

_2: Empty Spaces, Familiar Faces_

Marron shivered as the cool pre-dawn breeze tickled her skin. She had not yet changed from the clothes she had worn at the party: indigo jeans and a cute pink tank-top, hair still in messy pigtails. Absent-mindedly, she fixed her hair while watching the sun begin to rise above the horizon.

She didn't know ho long it had been since her duplicate had left, or how long she had been in this strange place. All she knew was she had never felt more lonesome in her entire life.

She was completely and utterly bewildered by what she had been told. Part of her wanted to believe that is was all a lie, someone's sick idea of a joke, or a ludicrous nightmare dreamed up by her own twisted mind. But the part of Marron that was causing her gut to twist up in knots believed every word that had been spoken.

"When are those 'others' getting here?" she spoke aloud. Using her very limited abilities, Marron searched for kis, familiar or otherwise, and discovered that there were indeed several headed her way, getting closer by the minute. Whether they were friend or foe, she couldn't tell, but the thought of company lightened her heart at least a little.

She sat back down on her piece of driftwood to wait. Before she knew it, she heard the distinct sound of feet landing on the sand. One, two, three, four sets.

"I knew I sensed something! Don't move. We have you surrounded." Though slightly gruffer, the commanding voice was unmistakable.

"Trunks!" Marron cried, turning to face her boyfriend.

He looked different, but familiar at the same time. His face was physically the same, but his eyes seemed to hold much anger. He wore a green headband across his forehead, under his purple bangs. The band matched his khaki pants and faded olive tank-top.

The three others with Trunks Marron also recognised. Pan was on Trunks' left, in khaki shorts and a tight grey T-shirt. Her hair was tied high. Uub was next to her with an outfit similar to Trunks'.

And on Trunks' right…it was Goten. Of all four, his expression was the lightest and kindest.

Trunks' mouth twisted into a snarl. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I…I…" Marron stammered, unsure of how to explain herself.

"Speak, _chikuso_!"

"Calm down, Trunks!" Goten said. He gave Marron a small smile. "Can't you see that she's terrified? And besides, she's got a ki. That's how we found her, remember? So she's not a _jinzouningen_, she's just a normal human."

"So what's she doing out here?" Pan asked suspiciously. "It could be a trap or something."

"I'm not a trap!" Marron pleaded. "I'm Marron."

"And? That name means nothing to me," Trunks growled. Marron had never seen him so cold. So much like Vegeta.

Marron realised that she would simply have to tell them the truth. "Sorry, I forgot. Of course you don't know my name. I don't exist in this world."

"What do you mean 'in this world'?" Uub inquired. "Are you from another planet?"

"No, no. From another timeline, or something. I don't know. I'm Krillin's daughter."

"Krillin never had any children," Trunks bluntly stated.

"Not here, no. But where I used to be, he had me…"

"I hate to tell you this, but Krillin is dead."

"I know. Someone…someone told me what happened here. How okaa…Juuhachigou became evil again and started killing."

Trunks' narrowed. "What were you about to say before you said Juuhachigou?"

"N-nothing…"

"Liar! You were about to say 'okaasan', weren't you? You're the daughter of that murderous bitch!"

"Yes…" Marron whispered. It hurt to have Trunks tell at her. She tried to reason that this wasn't the same Trunks, but it didn't work all that well.

Goten and Uub were holding Trunks back so that he wouldn't tear Marron to pieces. To say that this Trunks had a vendetta against Juuhachigou would have been an understatement. Marron could see an unimaginable hatred in his eyes, and it terrified her.

"Trunks, cut it out, you _baka_!" Goten grunted, angrily. "Just because she's Juuhachi's daughter doesn't automatically make her evil. And you heard her – she said something about being from another timeline. You know, where Juuhachigou is still on our side."

"Such a place could never exist," Trunks spat.

"You stubborn jerk, you never change do you?" Marron finally snapped, sick of Trunks' behaviour. "You can sense my ki. You can tell that I'm no threat."

"You're a spy, then. Wouldn't be the first time…"

"Would you all shut up?" Pan barked. "Look, the sun's starting to rise – we can't stay here. We'd better decide now what we're going to do with this girl."

"Let's just take her with us," Goten suggested. "We'll make sure she doesn't leave, so she can't make contact with the _jinzouningen_."

"Fine!" Trunks growled. "But she's you're responsibility." Trunks drew his face close to Marron and snarled at her, "If you put one foot out of line, _jinzouningen_, I will take personal pleasure in disposing of you, understood?"

Marron fought back the tears, and tried to nod defiantly. She was quite certain that it didn't really work. Trunks did not seem fazed.

"I guess you can't fly?" Pan sneered, noting that Marron had not made a move. Marron shook her head, and Pan rolled her eyes. "Talk about useless. Goten-jisan, carry her, will ya?"

Goten smiled sheepishly at Marron, and scoped her into his arms. As they flew after the others, he apologised. "You'll have to excuse the manner of my companions. They've all had a bit of a hard life."

"Are…are you the only ones left?" Marron asked, timidly.

"Oh, no. We left Piccolo and Gohan back at our base with Bulma and Videl."

"What about Bra? Where's she?"

Goten's face became very cold, and the tone of his voice harsh. "Just to let you know – it would probably be in your best interests to not mention that name again. Especially around Trunks."

Goten did not talk to her for the rest of the flight. It was more than enough for Marron to get the point – Bra was not the best conversation topic. Of course, that just made her more curious as to what had happened.

Glancing around, Marron looked at the area where they had just arrived. In was in the middle of nowhere, jagged cliff faces jutting up everywhere, tangled messes of vines hanging of rocks. The perfect place for someone to hide. Trunks pushed a large section of vines aside to reveal the opening to a cave, and stepped inside. Pan, Uub, Goten and Marron, last and cautious, followed him inside.

It was not dank and musty as Marron expected it to be. Burning torches lined the walls, making visibility easier. Marron wondered how Trunks coped with living like this. She tried to imagine the Trunks she knew living without all the technology that ruled his life. It was near impossible.

"Trunks? Is that you?" a quiet voice asked. The group of five had entered a large cavern, which obviously served as a room. Sitting patiently at a table, was Bulma. She looked so much older. _Probably from all the stress of what's been happening,_ Marron decided.

"Yes, okaasan," Trunks softly replied. The tone he used with his mother was very different from the tone he had used with Marron. "We found this girl…at the Turtle Master's island…"

Bulma looked at Marron. "She looks like…"

"Juuhachigou…yes. Apparently, the _jinzouningen_ is her mother."

Marron expected Bulma to start screaming. But she did not. She smiled, and motioned for Marron to sit near her. "You may look like your mother, but you remind me of someone else…who is your father?"

"K-Krillin, ma'am," Marron answered. 

"I thought as much. They were together for a while. It must have broken his heart when she turned. But, I must admit, I did not know they ever had any children. In fact, I didn't think it possible for a _jinzouningen_ to mother a child."

"I…I'm not from this world. I don't exist here."

Bulma motioned for the others to leave the room. "What do you mean, child? You're sitting next to me, so I'd say you exist."

Marron let the tears she had been holding in spill forth now that Trunks had gone. "I wished that I had never been born, and now I'm here! All of this is my fault! It's because I wasn't born. That's why okaasan went evil. That's why she killed everyone."

"I see." Bulma placed a hand on Marron's shoulder. "You cannot blame yourself. You couldn't decide whether you were born or not in this world."

"But…"

"I think that you have come from an alternate timeline, like Mirai Trunks. When he came from the future, he created a new past, and a new future." Bulma smiled. "Well, that's just my theory anyway."

"T-thank you…" Marron whispered. "Thank you for believing me. Trunks didn't."

"That boy is too much like his father. A stubborn son of a bitch. I'll try to talk some sense into him. Meanwhile, we need to find you some clothes. I expect Trunks doesn't plan on letting you go anywhere, but if he changes his mind, we can't have you going around in such bright colours. The _jinzouningen_ would come after you in ten seconds flat." Bulma looked Marron up and down. "My clothes would be too big, especially in the bust, and Pan's would be too small. Very tiny that girl. Looks like we'll have to go with Videl's. Follow me."

Bulma stood, and lead Marron to another passageway. They entered a new room, which was mostly taken up by the massive form of Piccolo.

"Is this her?" he asked.

"Yes," Bulma answered. "And before you go making some foolhardy decision, I've already spoken to her. She's Krillin's daughter too, you know? Or did my son forget to mention that?"

"He mentioned it. And I did not plan on sentencing her to death or anything like that. Trunks has suggested we keep her here, as a prisoner I suppose. It will be safer for all of us that way."

"We just better hope she doesn't have some tracking bug, or a bomb attached to her," Pan said, snidely, from the shadows.

Marron couldn't help but dislike this Pan. The Pan she knew had always been a sweet girl. A bit of a tomboy, but sweet nonetheless. She snapped back at Pan with her own snide remark. "Don't you think I would've exploded already if I was a bomb?"

"That's enough, girls!" Bulma ordered. "Now…what was your name dear?"

"Marron."

"Right. Let's see what we can do about getting you some clothes."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Next chapter: More shall be revealed about Bra's mysterious absence. 


	3. Family Reunion

Only Words

_3: Family Reunion_

Marron shivered under the thin blanket she had been allowed. The mattress of dried grasses was also quite possibly the most uncomfortable thing she had ever slept on. But when she really thought about it, she knew that she should be thankful for small favours. She didn't have to share a room with Pan or Trunks, which was the best thing that had happened to her since she had arrived in this god-forsaken place. Bulma might have snored a little, but she was better company that any of the others by far.

With the torches out, and the heat of the day passed, the cave had become as gloomy as most caves tended to be. The emptiness also made the most quiet noises echo throughout the entire complex, so as well as Bulma's snoring, Marron could hear Gohan, Trunks and Goten snoring, Videl calling out in her sleep, Pan and Uub murmuring together and Piccolo shuffling about somewhere. Marron assumed that he was pacing, pondering about the situation.

A tear slid down Marron's cheek, chased closely by another, and another. She remained silent though, not wanting her own sobbing to be echoed throughout the cave.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"There's no one here," Juuhachigou stated, crossly. 

Juunanagou floated over and landed beside his sister. The _jinzouningen_ were searching the same mountains that Marron had been taken to. Juunanagou raised his arms into a shrug. "She said she saw something flying this way."

"Well, she isn't always right!" Juuhachigou sneered. "You only believe her because she's got you whipped."

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does…"

"Oh, shut up!" Juuhachigou snapped. "Look, we don't have anything planned. We'll just stay here, and keep watch. And if something shows up…"

"We'll have some fun," Juunanagou finished, with a smirk.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Breakfast in the cave was as cheerful an event as every other moment had been. Marron felt like every eye at the table was focussed on her, just waiting for her to give some hint that she was an enemy. Just waiting for an excuse to kill her.

She was thankful when Bulma started up conversation. "So, have anything planned today?"

"Goten and I want to go do some work on the spare cave," Trunks replied.

"And Uub and I were going to fix up the camouflage on this one," Pan added. "It's getting pretty raggy – you can almost see the light coming from inside when it's dark."

"That can't be a good thing," Piccolo mumbled. 

"One of you should take Marron with you," Bulma suggested.

"Not us," Pan immediately growled. "I'm not having her moping around near me."

Marron was about to reply with an equally bitchy remark, but Goten spoke up. "She can come with us."

"That might not be the best of ideas," Trunks murmured. "If she _is_ a spy, we don't want to show her where our other hide-out is."

"How many times do I have to tell you: _I'm not a spy_!" Marron cried. 

"I'm just being cautious."

"Just take her, Trunks," Bulma commanded. "And that's an order."

"Yes, mother," he grumbled. Even Marron couldn't hide a smirk, seeing the mighty Trunks giving into his mother. He stood, and scraped up what was left of his pride. "Come on, we're leaving now."

Marron, who wanted to show Trunks up, quickly stood to indicate she was just as ready as he was. She had already changed into the clothes that Bulma had stolen from Videl's collection. She hated them, but believed that they were essential. 

Goten shoved the last remnants of his breakfast into his mouth, and joined Trunks and Marron. Trunks nodded to the rest of the group, lead his two companions out of the cave.

"You'll have to carry her again," Trunks ordered Goten. "I don't want to touch that filthy _jinzouningen_."

Marron immediately regretted that Bulma had ordered Trunks to take her along. She knew that without his mother around to stop him, Trunks would be ruthless.

However, Marron was to have a saviour with her. Goten frowned at his friend. "There's no need to be like that Trunks."

Trunks got up close to his friend. "What did you say?"

"She's just a girl, Trunks. Stop being such a jerk."

"Why are you being so compassionate? You hate them just as much as I do for what they did to _her_." Trunks looked over at Marron, then back to Goten. "Finally putting my sister behind you, huh, Goten? Going after something new? I'm sure she's a pretty good fuck, being a machine and all. More balls than brain, as usual."

"Shut up, Trunks." Despite his defiant glare, Goten had blushed, and betrayed his thoughts.

Trunks walked away. Before taking of, he sneered, "You can have her. Hope she pleases you."

Goten shrugged at Marron. "Would you believe he's always been a fucking jerk?"

"No…" she whispered. 

"You were lovers in your world, weren't you?"

Marron bit her lip and nodded. 

"Do you know all of us?"

"Yes. You and I were best friends. I trusted you with my life. Pan and Uub – they had only just started as a couple the day I made my stupid wish."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you wish to never exist?"

"I got drunk, and ended up in a situation that upset Trunks, and B…your girlfriend. It's amazing how many stupid things you say when you're distraught."

Goten looked at her thoughtfully. "Who was my girlfriend?"

Marron looked away, finding his gaze unnerving. "You told me not to mention her name again."

He nodded. "I thought as much. We should get going, before Trunks gets even madder with us."

Marron let Goten scoop her into his arms. She had always loved it when Trunks had taken her flying. She tried to settle into Goten's arms and pretend he was Trunks. But Goten's scent was too familiar.

The flight was eventless, with Marron off in her own little world, not taking in any of the view. If Trunks had been worried about her blabbing about where the spare cave was, he would have been worrying in vain. 

"Took you long enough," was how Trunks greeted them.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Hello, look what we have here," said Juunanagou, spotting Goten and Marron meet up with Trunks.

"Who's the blonde?" Juuhachigou wondered aloud.

"Fucked if I know. She looks a little like you."

"No, she doesn't." Juuhachigou stood up fully, since she had been crouching. "Well, whoever she is, let's go introduce ourselves."

"Sounds like fun." Juunanagou whistled loudly, and a third figure followed after them, keeping their distance.

"What's a nice boy like you doing in a place like this, Trunks?" Juuhachigou called.

Trunks looked up in shock. Seeing the two _jinzouningen_, he spun around and snarled at Marron. "I knew it! You worthless little whore. I _will_ kill you!"

"I swear, I had nothing to do with this! Maybe they saw us, or something." Marron looked to Goten for support, but he just stared back at her in disappointment and betrayal.

"Who's the broad, boys?" Juunanagou asked.

"Don't act like you don't know anything, _jinzouningen_."

Juuhachigou waved a finger at Trunks. "Now, now, don't yell. And get your facts straight first. We have no idea who your little bitch is." She smirked. "Or, maybe, she's your new whore, and you just don't want me to know, in case I get jealous."

Marron watched in horror as her mother made passes at her boyfriend.

"You sick bitch," Trunks hissed. "Do you think I'd want to touch you, or your filthy spawn?"

"Filthy spawn…?" Juuhachigou repeated.

"Well, well, well," Juunanagou scoffed. "The truth comes out. When were you planning on telling _me_ about my niece?"

Juuhachigou snarled at her brother. "Idiot! He's just making it up to protect her!"

"All of you shut up!" Marron screamed, causing a general wave of shock to pass through the group. Even Marron was shocked at her own guts. She had never snapped at her mother in such a way, and this Juuhachigou was ten times more terrifying. "Yes, I am your daughter, but from a different world. No, I'm not fucking Trunks…not this one anyway. What is wrong with you people!?"

Juunanagou raised his hand. "Well, I'm a _jinzouningen_ who wants to destroy all of humanity. I don't know about the rest of you."

Trunks ignored Juunanagou and addressed Juuhachigou. "So, you honestly know nothing about this girl?"

"Never seen her in my life." She smirked. "That doesn't mean I won't take pleasure in killing her though."

The conversation was interrupted by the distinct sound of heels on rock, and a female voice sighing, "Bored now."

Marron's eyes widened in horror. "No…it can't be…"

Behind her, Goten whispered, "No, please…anything but that. I don't want to have to face her."

"Juunanagou, why the Hell did you let _her_ come along?" Juuhachigou snapped, irritated. 

Juunanagou simply smiled. "What's wrong, Princess?"

Standing, barely metres away, was Bra. But not the Bra that Marron knew. This Bra had the slanted cat eyes of the _jinzouningen_. The same flawless beauty of Marron's mother and uncle. She pouted. "This is boring!"

"Sorry about that, babe."

Bra looked out from behind Juunanagou. "Who's the girl with onii-chan?"

"I told you to not call me that, you little bitch!" Trunks roared. "You're not my sister! She's dead! My sister is dead!"

With a smirk on her lips more frightening than that of her father, Bra sidled over to Trunks. Coming as close to him as she dared, she ran a hand down her side. "But isn't that a good thing? If I'm not really your sister, then you can do all those naughty, incestuous things you always wanted to do."

"Shut your fucking mouth. You're a liar. I would never think about my little sister in such a way!"

"Even if she's as sexy as me?"

"Shut up, Bra," Goten commanded.

Her eyes widened with joy. "My puppy is here too! Does puppy wanna play?"

"I said, shut up…" 

Marron could see that Goten was straining to maintain his control. Tears were welling at the bottom of his eyes. She grabbed his arm, and hissed, "Let's get out of here, NOW!"

He nodded, mutely, and discretely wrapped an arm around her, preparing to take flight.  From the corner of his eye, Trunks noticed this and also prepared himself. If they ran now, they would live to see another day. If they stayed, their future would not be so certain. 

"Love to stay and chat…actually, no I wouldn't," Trunk growled. "So, see ya!"

And with that, Trunks and Goten took off. Speed was the only advantage that the Saiya-jin seemed to have against the _jinzouningen_.

Left with Juuhachigou and Juunanagou, Bra pouted again. "No fair. Puppy doesn't want to play with me."

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Other Fics


	4. Gaining Trust

Only Words

Just in reply to some of my reviews.

Viper2999: Yes, Jinzouningen Bra is acting a lot like Vamp Willow, from that BtVS episode (called "The Wish"). In fact, this whole story was inspired by that episode, but I will try to make Bra a little less Willowish (though I must admit I _do_ like that image of Goten chained to the wall…lol)

Starry-Eyez888: I will explain how Bra knows who Trunks and everyone are in this chapter, but thank you for bringing it up. I might have forgotten it completely if you had not.

Thank you to all the people who have reviewed the story. Keep it up! I can't become a better writer if I don't get your feedback

_4: Gaining Trust_

Marron, Goten and Trunks all collapsed against a cliff face, utterly exhausted. Marron knew that they had only just escaped with their lives, and she was thankful for it. She looked over to Trunks and, trying to sound calmer than she felt, said, "Now do you believe me?"

Trunks just rolled his eyes, and dismissed her comment with a wave of his hands. Marron knew that was as close to an apology that she would ever get from the stubborn Saiya-jin, so she didn't push the matter any further.

After they had had a moment or two to regain their breath, Trunks spoke up. "We can't go back tonight. If they're still around, they might see us again, and follow us back to the others."

Marron bit her tongue, and resisted the urge to comment on the fact that Trunks had accepted her suggestion of how the _jinzouningen_ had found them. "I guess we should start getting comfy here then, huh?"

"That's right."

"We'll have to do without a fire," Goten stated. He addressed Marron, "We should be okay, but what about you? How are you with the cold?"

She shrugged. "I'll live."

Every moment she spent in this alternate world toughened her. Only days earlier, she never would have imagined herself saying some of the things she had, or facing some of the situations. Goten just nodded at her reply.

With Trunks out of earshot, Goten smiled almost sheepishly. "If it gets too cold, you could snuggle up to one of us…"

Marron smiled. "Thanks, Goten." After another couple of silent moments had passed, Marron voiced the question that had been most on her mind. "H-how…how did she become…?"

Marron stopped talking when she heard the sound of a rock shattering. The small crumbs of dirt slid from within Trunks' hand. Marron regretted asking the question; she had only just started to get on Trunks' good side.

Goten sighed, and explained, knowing that his friend could not. "They made her like them, into a _jinzouningen_. Well, Juunanagou did. I don't think Juuhachigou was too pleased about it. We don't know exactly _how_ he made her into one as such, but you can see that he did."

"But why?"

"Juunanagou became obsessed with my sister," Trunks said in a completely emotionless voice. "It started a long time ago, probably before he and Juuhachigou started killing again. They captured her when she was about seventeen – she was out by herself. It's my fault really…"

"Hey, Trunks. Don't say that," Goten interrupted. "We've been through this plenty of times. You aren't to blame." He looked at Marron. "Trunks likes to think it's his fault because he should have been looking after her, or something like that."

Trunks continued with the story. "By the time we realised she was missing, we stopped feeling her ki. We knew she was dead."

"Vegeta was pretty pissed off, as you can imagine," Goten sighed. "But then, a couple of months later, we were fighting them – the _jinzouningen_, I mean – again, and she just showed up. At first we didn't notice anything different, which was really stupid of us. The total lack of life force and creepy eyes should have been a dead give away, but we just so excited to see her. Vegeta was the first to realise something was up…"

"She killed him, didn't she?" Marron asked. Trunks nodded mutely. His eyes seemed to be unfocussed as he stared into the distance.

"You catch on quick," Goten said, trying to sound light-hearted.

Marron shook her head. "When I first came to this world, _someone_ spoke to me. Told me what had happened in this world. They stopped before telling me exactly who had killed Vegeta; they just told me that it wasn't my okaasan or oji-san. They said that someone else would be arriving, who would be more suited to explaining it."

"I'm guessing they meant us, right?"

"Yes." A thought suddenly occurred to Marron. "Wait a minute, my mother always told me that she didn't remember anything from before she became a _jinzouningen_. She couldn't tell us her name, where she was from, who her parents were. The only reason she called Juunanagou her brother was because that's what their creator told them. How does Bra know who you all are? She shouldn't know that she's Trunks' sister."

"But Juuhachigou and Juunanagou know," Goten pointed out. "They would have told her the minute she woke up as a _jinzouningen_ who she was, and what sort of relationship she had to all of us. And you have to admit, she wasn't acting very sisterly."

"I guess…"

"We also think that the process might not have gone exactly to plan. You must have noticed that she was a little…"

"Insane?" Marron offered. Oh yes, she had noticed how bizarrely Bra had been acting, and it had disturbed her a lot.

"We think it may have something to do with Bra being an unwilling subject," Goten explained. "She didn't _want_ to become a _jinzouningen_."

"And you think that my mother and her brother did?"

"Not so much that they were willing, more that they were ignorant. Gero probably would not have explained to them what was going to happen. He tricked them, or something. Whereas Bra would have known quite clearly what was going on."

"And as a result, she's unstable," Marron said, piecing the puzzled together. "That's barbaric."

"Tell me about it," Goten growled. "I can't say that I was exactly happy about having my girlfriend being stolen by the _thing_ that killed my mother."

Despite his obvious rage, Marron felt that Goten was less affected by what had happened to Bra than Trunks. It was possible that they had not been together long enough to form a bond. Or it could have been that Trunks' guilt made him take it harder than his friend. 

Marron knew that Trunks had always been very protective of his sister. When Goten and Bra had first started dating, Trunks had refused to speak to Goten for a week. When he had finally accepted that they really were a couple, he had threatened Goten with death if he ever hurt Bra.

That made Marron think about the mess that had brought her to this world in the first place. Would Trunks be more worried about how Goten had hurt Bra, or would his own broken heart be more important. Then Marron realised that she had wished that world away, so it didn't matter. 

_But, wait. Did I really wish it _away_? I mean, when Mirai Trunks came, he didn't change his future, he just created a timeline. But then, this isn't the past or anything. It's the same time, just a different world…oh, I don't know!_ Thinking was making Marron confused, and _that_ was giving her a headache. 

"Sleep," Trunks commanded. "I'll keep watch."

Marron smiled in thanks, and as per his offer, snuggled up to the already sleeping Goten.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"They've gone," Bra groaned. "Can't we go now?"

"She's got a point, Juuhachi," Juunanagou sighed. "I don't think we'll find them tonight. Why do you care so much anyway?"

Juuhachigou floated down to the ground, and stood in front of Juunanagou and Bra, who were both lazing on rocks. She scowled. "I don't _care_. I was just in the mood for a bit of bloodshed."

"Sure," Bra teased with a smirk. "You're just pissed off because onii-chan dobbed you in about the little daughter thing…"

Juuhachigou slapped Bra across the face. "She's not my daughter."

"Well, she seemed pretty convincing," Juunanagou mused. "Besides, she said she was from a different world, like another dimension or something."

"I still don't believe it. How could I have a child?"

Bra smirked again. "Aww, don't put yourself down like that. If you lost a little weight, and started listening to my fashion advice, I'm sure you'd be able to find a great guy!"

Juunanagou stifled a laugh, but Juuhachigou was in no way amused. She grabbed Bra by the throat and lifted the slightly smaller woman above the ground.

"One of these days," she hissed, "I am going to rip out that over-active larynx of yours. And believe me, I will enjoy every moment."

Unfortunately, Juuhachigou had never learnt how stupid it was to anger Bra. When she lost her temper, Bra somehow tapped into a hidden power, leftovers from her days as a Saiya-jin. Juuhachigou had often warned her brother about the dangers of his lust for the Saiya-jin Princess, but he was always quick to remind her of her own infatuation with a certain vertically challenged, nose-less monk.

Bra tore Juuhachigou's hand away from her neck and sent the other woman flying. With eyes narrowed even more than usual, she advanced upon Juuhachigou, who was pulling herself out of a large, newly formed dent in the cliff wall.

"How many times must I remind you not to touch me?" Bra snarled.

Juunanagou took this moment to step in before things became a little too messy. "Now, now girls, play nice."

Bra looked at him and her angry snarl dissolved into a pleading pout. "But, but…she started it."

"I know, Princess, but that doesn't mean you have to finish it." Juunanagou wandered over to help his sister, but she angrily pushed his hand away.

"I should make you keep her on a chain," she growled, dusting her clothes off.

"As kinky as that sounds, and as much as I'd like to, I don't think so. Anyway, back to the point that was at hand: why are you so worried about that little blonde? You keep denying that she's your daughter, so why are you so obsessed with her."

Juuhachigou finally gave in. "It's the whole thing about being from a different dimension. Remember how Trunks came from the future to stop us?"

"You think she could be a similar warrior sent to stop us?" Juunanagou asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Oooh, scary," Bra scoffed. "She didn't look like she could last two seconds in a fight. Someone should tell her that the whole pig-tail look doesn't strike fear into hearts."

"Shut up," Juuhachigou snapped. "If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it. Anyway, I don't know if she was sent here to stop us, but there's a chance that she was, and personally, I'm not quite ready for our fun to end just yet."


	5. Sorrow

Only Words

_5: Sorrow_

The first thing Marron smelt as she woke was the distinct, masculine scent of the man she loved. A smile formed on her lips and murmured, still half-asleep, "Oh, Trunks, I just had the most horrible dream…"

It was only after she had spoken the words that she realised how wrong the situation was. They weren't in Trunks' bed at Capsule Corp., or even in Marron's on Kame Island. They were outside on a bed of cold, hard stone. It all came rushing back. She had not been dreaming.

"What about?" Trunks inquired, though he didn't seem in the least bit interested.

Now fully awake, Marron glanced around. Sometime during the night, Trunks had swapped places with Goten. Without waking her, he sat next to her and shared his warmth, while Goten had kept watch over their tiny camp. She wondered why Trunks had done such a thing for her, when he saw her as nothing more than a _jinzouningen_. 

"Oh, nothing, it doesn't matter," she mumbled. "Why didn't you wake me to do a watch shift? Still don't trust me?"

"It wasn't that," Goten explained. "We just didn't think that you would be able to keep your eyes open. And we didn't know how good your night vision was."

"Oh, okay then." She yawned and stretched. "So, when do we head off?"

"Not til it's dark," Trunks stated. "The _jinzouningen_ have much better vision in the day than in the night. We're less likely to be seen once the sun has gone down."

"But it only just came up! You mean we have to bum around here for the whole day?"

"That's right. Actually, Goten found a cave last night. Very well hidden. We'll stay in there."

"Oh, goodie," Marron grumbled. She was already sick of spending time in caves; spelunking had never been her type of thing. She was more of an indoor girl.

Trunks shrugged as he stood. "Stay here if you prefer, but I know my mother won't be pleased if I go back and tell her you were killed by the _jinzouningen_. For some odd reason she seems to have taken a liking to you."

"We should get going," Goten suggested, before Trunks and Marron could engage in an all out verbal war. "Before the sun comes over that ridge, because the minute it does, our shadows will be visible for miles."

"Yeah, whatever," Trunks grunted. "Lead the way; you found the cave."

Goten nodded, and offered a hand to Marron to help her to her feet. She took it gladly, and shot a smirk in Trunks' direction. She didn't know why she even bothered; he hadn't been looking.

Trunks and Marron followed Goten for around ten minutes, until they finally reached a small opening in the cliff face. Marron, with her small frame, could easily fit through, but it was a much tighter fit for Goten, and even worse for Trunks, who was the biggest build of the three. But after some struggling and twisting, all three were finally in the cave. It was quite cosy or overcrowded – depending on how you liked to look at it. Marron just hoped there were no bats. She hated bats.

Upon voicing this fear, Marron scored a slight chuckle from Trunks. "The daughter of the terrifying Juuhachigou is scared of a couple of bats?"

Marron almost lost her temper at his reaction, but then she realised that this was the first time she had seen Trunks laugh. Perhaps she really was getting onto his good side. And besides, making fun of her was such a Trunks-like thing to do; it made him seem more like her own Trunks.

"So…what are we going to do to pass the time?" Marron asked, trying to start conversation.

"Typical woman," Trunks snorted. "You always need something to _do_."

Marron scrapped her previous thought of how this Trunks had acted somewhat like her Trunks. No, this Trunks was so much like Vegeta that it made her sick.

"Again, you'll have to excuse Trunks," Goten sighed. "We've gotten used to spending days on end doing nothing. Just hiding from the _jinzouningen_."

Marron nodded, but she didn't know if Goten saw her do so. It was pretty dark inside the cave. But then, she was sure that Saiya-jin had incredibly good eyesight. She didn't know how she was going to survive in this hellhole. Against her will, she sniffled as tear after tear slid down her cheek.

"I want to go home," she sobbed quietly. "I hate this place. Everything is so wrong."

"Hey, now, don't cry," Goten tried to sooth. It was obvious that he had little practice in doing so. Marron supposed that all the survivors had been conditioned and didn't cry anymore. 

"She's right though," Trunks stated, in his emotionless tone. "It _is_ all wrong." He moved close to Marron ear. "You should be glad you haven't had to live it as long as we have."

"But that's exactly my point," Marron cried, her tears streaming more heavily. "This is how it's been for you! I _know_ that it can be different. And I know why it's like this. It's _me_. I caused this."

"No, you didn't," Goten stated, bluntly. "Did you even listen to what Bulma said to you?"

"H-how do you know what Bulma said?"

"I listened, while Trunks was filling Piccolo in." Goten sighed. "Look, Marron, I know it wasn't my place to eavesdrop, but Bulma did have a point there. You can't make the decision about whether you were born or not. I'm sure this world would exist even if you hadn't made your wish."

"Then…my world would still exist too. I didn't wish it away, I just wished myself away."

"Sounds logical."

Marron sighed. "Oh, I don't want to think about it anymore! It's all so confusing."

*   *   *   *   *   *

The _jinzouningen_ had not yet returned to their "home". Despite Bra's constant whining, Juuhachigou had won over Juunanagou, and convinced him to wait until the morning and restart their search for Juuhachi's apparent offspring.

As they waited for the night to pass – as _jinzouningen_ they did not require sleep – Juuhachigou thought about the girl who had claimed to be her daughter. 

_I suppose she did look like me,_ she mused. _I mean with the colour of her hair, and her eyes. And something about her reminds me of Krillin…_ A feeling which could have been described as guilt welled up inside Juuhachigou's artificial body as she thought about the man who had once been her husband. Very occasionally, Juuhachigou felt something like remorse for killing him. Could they have worked it out? Could they have been a real couple?

_Of course not!_ Juuhachigou snarled to herself. _I'm a _jinzouningen_, and he was just a weak, worthless human. What chance could we have ever had? But, that girl…_ Juuhachigou had never imagined that she could have children. The thought had crossed her mind maybe once or twice, but she had always firmly squashed it. But this girl had brought doubt to Juuhachi's perfect mind. What if it _was_ possible? What if she and Krillin _had_ produced a child together? Would things have been different?

Juuhachi's train of thought was interrupted by the return of her brother and his toy. Juunanagou was pulling his pants up and Bra was adjusting her top. As far as Juuhachigou was concerned, they were both pathetic. But at least they had done the courtesy of going somewhere else to do their business. _Thank goodness for small favours._

"You're an animal, Princess," Juunanagou purred. Bra giggled stupidly.

Juuhachigou did not even try to hide her disgust. "You too make me sick."

Bra immediately took the chance to bait the other woman. "You know it's just because you're jealous." With a seductive look on her face, Bra moved closer. Juuhachigou didn't flinch. "You're always welcome to join us, of course. I always love a good _ménage a trois._"

"You're a sick bitch, you know that, don't you?" Juuhachigou hissed.

This was not the first time that Bra had invited Juuhachi to join herself and Juunanagou in one of their bouts of sexual activity. The two of them were nymphomaniacs and their behaviour disgusted Juuhachigou. Juunanagou had always been that way, even before he had turned Bra. His lust for Bra could only been quenched by viciously raping woman after woman. But even when Juunanagou finally took the Saiya-jin Princess as his own, the rapes did not stop. Bra introduced him to a world of sadistic sexual pleasure. 

A world which Juuhachigou was forced to endure. Part of the _jinzouningen's_ home – an abandoned block of units in one of the desolate towns – was a torture chamber for Bra's pleasure. Instead of killing people on the spot as the twins had once done, they now took prisoners for Bra to torment and play with until she was bored. Though it wasn't always sexual, the majority of the time it was.

Despite her hatred for the former Saiya-jin, Juuhachigou had to admire the girl's ingenuity. Bra had come of with some interesting, painful ways to kill people. Juuhachi's personal favourite involved heated metal spike being stabbed into the still-living victim. The heat stopped the bleeding, so that the victim would not die too quickly of a haemorrhage. 

Juuhachigou didn't no what gave Bra the ideas that she came up with. She assumed it was some form of innate bloodlust that all Saiya-jin possessed; something that could not be removed in death, nor in transformation into a _jinzouningen_.

"So, what's your plan, dear sister?" Juunanagou inquired, before the two women could engage in a catfight. As much as he would have enjoyed that, there was no mud around to make it truly worthwhile.

"I want to get that girl," Juuhachigou replied, stepping away from Bra. "Find out why she's here, and then kill her."

"Why bother with the first bit?"

Juuhachi shrugged. "I'm curious."

This was a lie, but Juunanagou would not work that out. Unlike her two companions, Juuhachigou still had some sort of link with her humanity. Perhaps it was her guilt over Krillin's murder; perhaps it was something else. But whatever the reason, it made Juuhachigou the least dangerous of the three. She could be reasoned with, and she would show remorse. It was a far change from the Juuhachigou of the future. 

"So, how exactly do you plan of getting her?" Bra asked, scornfully. "Onii-chan and Goten-kun seem to be rather protective of her."

Juuhachigou smirked. "We make a trade with them. Didn't you always want a puppy to play with, Bra?"

*   *   *   *   *   *

"I can't take it anymore!" Goten groaned. "If I don't eat anything, I'm gonna starve!"

Inside the cave, only the morning had passed, and Marron sighed inwardly as she realised she still had several hours left to spend in the cramped space. And now that Goten had started complaining, it seemed to have become even more stuffy and uncomfortable.

"Fine!" Trunks growled. "Go out and find something to eat. But be fucking quick about it!"

"Alright, alright!" Goten squeezed through the entry of the cave. Poking his head back in, he asked, "You guys want anything?"

"Just go!" Trunks barked. Marron swore she heard Goten yelp as he ran off. 

Wandering away from the cave, Goten grumbled to himself. "Stupid Trunks. It's not that easy to just find something good to eat out here, doesn't he know that? Hey, wait a minute…" Goten sniffed the air, his sensitive Saiya-jin nose picking up the scent of something edible. "Mmmm…that smells good…"

He followed his nose to a small clearing some distance away from where Marron and Trunks were still hiding. In the centre of the clearing, some sort of beast was roasting over a fire. The intensity of his hunger had driven any logic that he may have had from his head. Goten approached the roast. But before he reached it, he finally realised how suspicious the whole situation was. He also noticed that the entire area was eerily silent. Almost frozen with fear, Goten glanced around.

"Fetch, Puppy!" 

That was the last thing Goten heard, before something solid connected with his head, and all went black. __


	6. An Offer of Trade

Only Words

_6: An Offer of Trade_

"Something must have happened," Trunks stated in obvious concern. "He's been gone for far too long." An hour had passed since Goten had left to find food.

"You don't suppose they still could have been out there somewhere," Marron asked, timidly. "Waiting for us to come out of hiding."

"It's not something that they'd usually do, but I still wouldn't put it past them." 

"This is all my fault, isn't it? They stayed so that they could get me…" Marron looked at her feet, on the verge of tears once again.

"Probably. But we don't know for sure if that's even what happened to Goten. He could have eaten too much and fallen asleep somewhere." Trunks sighed. "Whatever happened to him, we need to find him. Stay here, I'll go look for him."

Marron shook her head. "Please don't leave me here by myself. What if you don't come back either?"

Trunks was silent for several moments. Marron assumed that he was thinking her plea through. She wished that it were lighter so that she could see his face. Finally he replied with, "Fine, but you'd better be able to keep up."

Marron followed Trunks as he squeezed through the tiny opening. Once outside, he sniffed the air before choosing a direction. Though she was curious, Marron didn't dare ask him what he was sniffing for. She knew that a Saiya-jin's sense of smell was as powerful and sensitive as their eyesight. 

Trunks' nose led he and Marron to a clearing, a fair distance from where they had started out. Marron wondered why Trunks had taken her here. She assumed he had smelt something that he had seen as a clue to finding Goten, but if that were so, why had Goten wandered so far from their hiding place? When she glanced into the centre of the clearing, she saw why; the roasted carcass of some sort of animal was resting above the smouldering remains of a fire. 

"Watch it!" Trunks growled. "It's probably a trap." Seeing something on the ground, he bent down. 

"What did you find?" Marron whispered.

"Blood." Trunks dipped his finger into the tiny puddle of red liquid, and brought his finger back up to his mouth. After a short taste, he spat. "It's Goten's."

Marron decided that she didn't want to know how Trunks knew what Goten's blood tasted like. Choking on a sob, she realised that Trunks' theory that Goten had simply fallen asleep somewhere was very wrong. 

"He's still alive though…" Trunks seemed to be talking to himself.

Looking at the carcass, Marron wondered how Goten had been so stupid. How had he not realised the obvious set up that meant the roast was bait for a trap? Ass she stared, she saw something that neither of them had noticed before. Words had been inscribed into the side of the beast. At first glance, they appeared to be nothing more than scratches, but soon Marron could read the terrifying message.

"T-trunks…" she stammered, pointing to the carcass with a wavering finger.

Expecting to see the _jinzouningen_, Trunks quickly stood. Following the line of Marron's finger he saw what she had, and even spoke the words aloud.

"Trade: Goten for the girl. West City Apartments."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Goten's head was throbbing and he felt like he'd been hit by a bus. _What happened? Where am I?_ Without opening his eyes, he tried to bring his hands to his head…and realised that he could not. His arms were firmly bound above his head.

"Good morning, Puppy," a very familiar voice greeted. "How was your sleep?"

Goten's eyes shot open as he realised everything. _I can't believe I walked straight into that trap!_ Bra was sitting in front of him, perched on a backwards-facing chair. She smiled sweetly at him. On her right, Juunanagou was leaning against a wall with a smug look on his face and his arms crossed. Juuhachigou was standing to Bra's left, looking bored and displeased.

Goten struggled within his bounds, but found that it was useless. 

Juunanagou laughed. "Struggle all you want, it won't do anything. Those are the same chains we used to tie Bra down before we made her like us." He smirked cruelly. "And Bra and I have tried them out quite a few times…on each other."

Goten squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to block out the mental pictures Juunanagou had practically forced into his mind. He didn't want to see Bra like that. She had always been so pure and innocent when he had been with her. Goten had been terrified of taking that innocence away from her. 

But he had never gotten the chance. Juunanagou had taken his princess, and made her his own. Goten fought back the tears.

"Awww," Juunanagou sneered. "Are you gonna cry? Gonna squirt some?"

"Rot in hell, you hunk of junk," Goten managed to hiss.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me, you worthless heap of scrap metal."

Juunanagou snarled angrily. "_Nobody_ insults me like that. You're gonna pay…"

"Cut it out, Juunanagou," Juuhachigou snapped. "We need him alive to trade with his friends."

"We're just gonna kill him anyway," Juunana huffed. "I don't see the point of delaying it."

"You idiot! Don't you remember? They can sense his life-force. If we kill him, they'll know. And then they won't bring my little girl here."

The look on Juunanagou's face looked completely foreign to Goten. He looked like a small child who had just been scolded. Had his situation been less life threatening, Goten might have laughed.

"Come on," Juuhachigou ordered. "I promised Bra some time to play with her puppy." She followed Juunanagou out of the room, leaving Goten alone with Bra.

"Now, Goten," Bra said slowly, "we're going to have some fun."

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Oh, Trunks," Bulma cried, embracing her son. "We were so worried. We had no idea where you were!"

"Where's Goten?" Pan asked, slowly. She was the first to notice that the trio had been reduced to a duo.

"The _jinzouningen_ got him," Trunks answered solemnly. 

"No…"

"But we can still sense him," Uub pointed out. "Why haven't they killed him?"

"They're using him for a trade-off," Marron said, her voice very quiet. "While we were out there, we ran into my mother, uncle and Bra. None of them had any idea who I was, even when Trunks told them. Okaasan must be curious about me. She wants you to trade me for Goten…"

"Well, it's settled then," Pan interrupted. "Where do they want to make the trade? Let's get going now."

Marron should have been hurt by what Pan had said, but she had already guessed that no one would have a second thought about giving her to the _jinzouningen_ if it meant getting Goten back. In fact, she thought that they would probably be willing even without the trade.

"No, Pan," Trunks said, surprising everyone. 

"My oji-san is your best friend, Trunks," Pan growled, tears forming in her proud eyes. "And you're just going to leave him to save some stupid girl!"

"That has nothing to do with it, Pan," Piccolo stated. "It's a trap. Trunks has already worked that out. The _jinzouningen_ just want to get more of us. They know we won't let Marron go by herself. They know at least one of us will go with her, and then they'll kill Goten, Marron and whoever goes with her."

"I can't believe you're all willing to just let him die!"

"We have to, Pan," Gohan reasoned. He knew how stubborn his daughter could be sometimes. "Goten will understand."

Marron watched as Pan looked to everyone for support of some sort. But all of their faces were solemn and downcast. It was as if Goten was already dead and they were mourning him. 

"Fuck the lot of you," Pan hissed.

Before anyone could react, she hooked her arm around Marron's waist and flew out of the cave. 

*   *   *   *   *   *

A/N: Sorry about the short chapter. Hopefully the next one will be longer!


	7. Revelations

Only Words

_7: Revelations _

"Put me down, you stupid bitch!" Marron screamed, struggling to escape from Pan's iron grip. Not once did she think what she would do if she actually managed to break free. They were several miles above the ground, and she couldn't fly.

Eventually, Pan came to a halt, and Marron, for a foolish moment, thought that the younger woman had finally come to her senses and was going to head back to the others. 

Not a chance. Pan's hands, in one swift movement, detached from Marron's waist and reattached in a pincer grip on her shoulders. Marron's heart rate tripled as she free fell for a split second. Being dangled by her shoulders was no less terrifying.

"Listen here," Pan hissed angrily. "You should be glad that those fuckers want to kill you themselves, otherwise I would have no qualms at all about dropping you right now. And if you don't quit your whining, I might just do it anyway."

"And what purpose would that serve you?" asked Marron. "If I die, so does your uncle."

"You leave him out of this." Pan turned around, and looked back to the way they had come. "Fuck, they're following us."

Marron somehow managed to concentrate enough to understand what Pan meant. She could just feel several kis some way behind them. "How many?"

"If you must know," Pan sneered, "Trunks and Uub." Her eyes narrowed. "They aren't going to stop me!"

As Pan shot off once more, Marron screamed into the distance, "TRUNKS!"

*   *   *   *   *   *

Somehow, Trunks heard Marron's scream. _We're coming, Marron. Just hold on._ He didn't know how or when it had happened, but he had started to feel compassion and even affection for the daughter of his greatest enemy. He would do all he could to ensure her safety.

He turned around to call to Uub. "Pan knows we're following her. We have to catch up before she gets to the apartments."

Uub simply nodded, and increased his speed.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Goten sensed that all of them were headed his way. He shut his eyes and mentally urged them to turn back. _Leave me! You guys can't make such a sacrifice just for me._ Despite the immense pain he was in, Goten did not wish to be rescued.

"Hmmm, what next?" Bra pondered as she examined a wall of offensive weapons. 

Goten dared not look to see what she had chosen. He had already received wounds that would probably never properly heal…assuming he ever escaped. He could no longer see out of his left eye. Bra had carefully inserted the fragments of a broken bottle into it while Goten was conscious. There was a sealed hole right through his right shoulder where she had stabbed him with a red-hot poker. She had barely missed the bones. Goten's body was also covered with tiny cuts, each of them bleeding just a little, to make him aware of ever single one.

Walking towards Goten with a rather nasty-looking, large knife, Bra pouted. "This hurts me more than it hurts you, puppy."

"I'm sure it does," Goten managed to croak. "Especially since you're not the one being jabbed with every sharp object imaginable."

"You should be glad – all that jabbing is stopping me from doing what I _really_ want to do."

Goten lifted his head just a little to look at her. "And what would that be?"

"Don't act so stupid." Bra dropped the knife and strode over to him. She pressed her body close to his, wiped her finger across one of his cuts and brought it to her mouth. She smiled as she tasted his blood. "You taste so wonderful. I want to have my sick little way with you."

"So, why don't you?" Goten asked, trying to delay further pain for as long as possible.

Bra rolled her eyes and swiftly broke Goten's left arm. He roared in pain, but she simply gave a little. "Because, silly, the time isn't right yet. You're still filthy, and mortal."

"What?"

"I can make you stronger than you could ever imagine. Immortal…"

Realising what she was getting at, Goten said, "The _jinzouningen_ aren't immortal. They can be killed. I'll admit, it's difficult, but it is possible to destroy them."

"Yes, but we are immune to the passing of time. Even Saiya-jin grow old and eventually die from age. We do not."

"I won't let you turn me into a monster like you."

"Sweetie, you don't really have a say it. Your free will, your decisions…they belong to me now. I decide if you live or die. I decide if you become a _jinzouningen_ or not." She came close to his ear and whispered, "We could have so much fun together. You can't deny that you'd like that."

A single tear slid down Goten's cheek. She was right. Despite everything she had done, she still looked like his own Bra in his mind. His little princess. The woman he loved. But closing his eyes, he remembered the look of sadistic pleasure that had been on her face when she killed Vegeta.

Since the death of his own parents, Vegeta and Bulma had become like family to Goten. In fact, Vegeta had been the first person Goten had revealed his feelings for Bra to. Though it had earned him a black eye and broken leg, Goten knew it was worth it. By speaking to Vegeta about it first, he had been given the Prince's trust and respect. 

To see Bra enjoy killing the man they had both called "father" had broken Goten's heart. Goten opened his eyes to tell Bra just that, but stopped. He had seen something she had not, and decided it would be best to keep her talking.

"What about Juunanagou?" he asked.

Bra snorted. "What about him? I used him to get what I wanted. I have you now, and I don't need him anymore." She smirked. "I suppose we could keep him around until you get used to being a _jinzouningen_. But we will have to kill him eventually. It doesn't particularly bother me."

Goten suddenly realised that Bra had never been insane. It had all been an act to gain Juunanagou's sympathy. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and had used him to get precisely what she wanted – Goten. _You clever little bitch_. Goten took a deep breath. The longer he could stall Bra, the better. "And Juuhachigou? Don't you think she'll be a little upset if you kill Juunanagou?"

"Ah yes. Believe me, I will take great pleasure in disposing of that bitch. She never trusted me. I think she's a little clever for her own good."

"Well, well. Too clever, am I?" Juuhachigou finally spoke. She had walked in as Bra had started talking about turning Goten into a _jinzouningen_. Juunanagou had come in soon after, so he had heard everything Bra had said about using him.

"Juu-kun!" Bra squealed, in a startled tone. "I didn't hear you come in."

"You…used me," he said slowly. He was furious, and Bra knew it. "You betrayed my trust… I…I…loved you."

Bra dropped the innocent act and rolled her eyes. "Loved me? Give me a break! You wanted to fuck me, that's it. And while I don't blame you for that – I _am_ extremely attractive – I'm bored. I need something new."

"Yeah? Well how's this for new?" Without warning, Juunanagou ran over to Goten, and promptly broke the young Saiya-jin's neck.

"NO!" Bra screamed.

"Juunanagou, you idiot!" Juuhachigou roared. "We needed him for the trade."

"Fuck your stupid trade, bitch," Juunanagou retorted. 

The door to the room was forced open, and the small form of a woman shoved inside. Another young woman followed her, a look of insane rage on her face.

"You broke the deal, _jinzouningen_," Pan snarled. "I came all this way, and then you killed him anyway!"

Marron, who had been shoved into the room, curled up into a corner. She was unsure who she should be more fearful of: Pan, who was sure to take vengeance for her uncle's death, or the _jinzouningen_.

"Technically speaking," said Juunanagou, "there wasn't any mention of him being alive at the time of exchange. We just said to bring the girl here…"

"Then technically, _she_ doesn't need to be alive either."

"Pan, don't do it!" came yet another voice from the doorway. Trunks and Uub had arrived, and Uub was slowly advancing towards the young woman.

"They killed him, Uub!" Pan sobbed openly. 

"It was Bra, she did it!" cried Juunanagou.

"You lying son of a bitch!" Bra retorted. She had been by Goten's side for most of the argument, but now felt it was time to join in. "You know perfectly well it was you."

Juuhachigou took this moment of confusion to take matters into her own hands. Pan was still dangerously close to killing Marron, but had stopped dead in her tracks to watch Bra and Juunanagou's screaming match. Unnoticed until too late, Juuhachigou delivered a fatal blow to Pan's head. 

The thud of Pan's body silenced everyone in the room. There was a cry of horror from Uub, before all Hell broke loose. Marron pushed herself further into the corner. There was nowhere else for her to go.

Uub attacked Juuhachigou, and at the same time Bra grabbed Juunanagou from behind. Though she had the element of surprise, he quickly latched onto her arms, and threw her over his head. While she stood, Juunanagou ran to the wall of weapons, and chose a large metal spear. 

Trunks wasn't sure which battle he should assist in. Though Bra was his enemy, she seemed to have joined his side for the moment. She and Juunanagou were probably quite evenly matched, so Trunks decided that he should help Uub out. He didn't know how well the young man would fare against the _jinzouningen_. 

He ran over and wrapped his arm around Juuhachigou's throat. She struggled in his grip. 

"What's the matter, sweetie?" he sneered. "You don't like hugs?"

She finally managed to get a good grip, and tore his arm away. With that same force, she sent him flying into a wall. 

Bra's fight was not going so well. It had gotten bad for the former Saiya-jin princess the minute Juunanagou had decided to use the spear. He brandished the weapon with great skill so she had difficultly getting close enough to hit him. He belted her around the head with the spear every time she tried. 

"Quit it, Juunanagou!" she screamed.

"Aww, what's the matter?" he jeered. "Now that you're new toy boy is gone, you're willing to take me back? Sorry, Princess, that's not how I work. You dumped me first." He hit her with all his might.

Bra fell to the ground in a daze. As she struggled to stand, Juunanagou came up behind her. He thrust the spear through her back, between her shoulder blades, so that it came out through her chest. 

She let out a shocked gasp, and looked over to where Trunks was pulling himself off the wall. He looked straight back at her and saw the tears in her eyes. For one short moment, she was his sister again. His baby sister. 

"Trunks…?" she managed to whisper, before Juunanagou pushed her to the ground and crushed her neck with his foot.

"Bra, no!" Trunks could feel a rage burning inside him like nothing he had ever felt before. 

"Hey, buddy, she started it," Juunanagou said calmly, with a shrug of his shoulders. "First, she dumped me for Mister Spiky Hair over here, then she had the hide to beat _me_ up!"

While Juunanagou continued to rave, Trunks looked over to Uub. The dark-skinned young man had managed to hit Juuhachigou clear through the wall, and possibly through several more. Marron was still in her chosen corner. She made eye contact with Trunks as she looked at him. She saw the wildness in his eyes, and it scared her.

"Uub, get her out of here!" Trunks ordered. 

"What about you?" Uub asked, helping Marron to herself. 

"I've got an appointment with old Juu-kun here." Trunks started to power up. "A long overdue appointment."

"Trunks, no!" Marron screamed. "He'll kill you. Trunks!"

"Today's as good as any to die." 

"And die you will, you pompous little brat," Juunanagou snarled.

"Uub, go now!" Trunks roared. "I love you, Marron."

"Trunks! TRUNKS!" Marron didn't even try to stop the tears from falling. Uub dragged her out of the room just before the roof caved in, burying both Trunks and Juunanagou. 

"We have to get out of here, before the whole building collapses on us!" Uub cried. He took hold of Marron's hand and led her towards the exit. But when they were just steps away, Uub went flying and landed with a sick thud several metres away. 

"Forget someone?" Juuhachigou said sweetly. 

When Marron realised that Uub wasn't moving anymore, she looked at the woman who should have been her mother in terror. "W-w-what do you want from me?"

"I just want to talk to you, sweetheart." Juuhachigou wrapped her arms around Marron in a constrictor grip. "Give mummy a hug."

Marron struggled uselessly as Juuhachigou squeezed tighter. Before she lost consciousness, she thought she saw herself…or at least, the double she had seen of herself on the day she had arrived. _I must be going crazy. Maybe this is what happens before you die…_

*   *   *   *   *   *

A/N: Cliffhanger! I'll try to get the next chapter out real soon, but I can't make any promises!


	8. Another Favour

Only Words

_8. Another Favour_

"Let me go!" Marron tried to scream, as she struggled to remove her own mother's hands from around her throat. It took her a moment to realise that Juuhachigou's grip had indeed lessened, and another moment to realised that it was no longer hands that were wrapped around her neck. 

Marron's eyes shot open. She couldn't believe it. She was back in her own room, and the tightness that she felt around her throat was simply her bed sheets, which had somehow gotten tangled.

"It was a dream… just a dream," she whispered.

"Not exactly," an all-too familiar voice replied. Marron looked to her window. The double of herself was perched delicately on Marron's windowsill. The same double that had spoken to her when she had first arrived in that messed up world, and the same double she had seen while her own mother had tried to kill her.

"Not a dream…?" Marron repeated, stupidly.

"Nope, take a look for yourself." The Pseudo-Marron motioned for her to look at her appearance. Marron did so and saw that she was dressed in the clothes that Bulma had picked out for her. The clothes, as well as her skin, were covered with dust from the battle and some small stains that might have been blood.

Marron looked back to her double. "Then what…?"

"An alternate reality. You see, a reality exists for every event that could have been. Thus, I simply transported you to a reality where you actually were never born, as per your wish."

"Who are you?"

The Pseudo-Marron just shrugged and smiled. "Just a friend, who happens to enjoy granting wishes."

Marron looked narrowly at her double. "Shenlong?"

"And who says blondes are stupid?" Shenlong laughed.

"How can you look like me? You're a dragon!"

Shenlong-Marron rolled her eyes. "I'm only a dragon when someone gathers up the Dragonballs and makes a wish. The rest of the time, I can take on whatever form I desire. What did you think I did when the Dragonballs were inactive? Laze around beneath the earth somewhere?"

"Well, actually, yeah," Marron admitted. "Guess we mortals don't know as much about you as we thought, huh?"

"Damn right."

"So, why did you grant my wish? I didn't have the Dragonballs."

"Well, I thought I'd do you a favour, since your father did an alright job of protecting the Earth. I say 'alright' because it _was_ destroyed on more than one occasion. And every time the Earth gets destroyed, I have to wait around in Otherworld for some schmuck to wish it back. You would not believe how boring that can get."

"You call sending me to that place a _favour_!? I nearly died!" Marron cried.

"Yeah, but you didn't die, did you? I got you out before that happened."

"That's not the point! I still don't see how any of that could have been classed as a favour."

Shenlong-Marron sighed. "Well, you learnt a lot while you were there, didn't you? Trunks still fell in love with you, even though he knew you were the daughter of his enemy."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I think I may have to scrap my earlier comment about blondes not being dumb. If that Trunks there could forgive you, then the Trunks here is sure to forgive you too."

Marron looked at her feet sadly. "I doubt it." Suddenly, an idea sprung into her mind. "I don't suppose you could do me another favour. Like, make them all forget what happened that night?"

Shenlong-Marron shook her head furiously. "Not a chance!"

"Why not?"

"Well…uh…you see, when I said there's a reality for every event that could have happened, there are some events that _have_ to happen. You know, fated events. In every reality where you, Trunks, Goten and Bra all exist, the events of last night were destined to occur."

"Last night? You mean no time has passed here?"

"That's right."

Marron thought about what Shenlong had said about fated events. "Wait a minute, if that stuff last night was fated to happen, does that mean that Trunks and I aren't meant to be together? Oh, please don't tell me I'm fated to be with Goten – that'd just be weird!"

Shenlong-Marron laughed. "Trust you to worry about that. No, it doesn't mean that you and Goten are destined to be together. On the contrary, it means quite the opposite. Last night was a test, to see how you would react and cope with the situation."

"So, I'm guessing, there's a reality where I never made my wish," Marron concluded. "What's that world like?"

"I have no idea, because I, like you, belong to this world. And don't get any dumb ideas about wishing to go there!" Shenlong-Marron gave Marron a stern glare.

"Alright, alright!" Marron almost had to laugh. "I think I've done enough damage. Too bad I have no idea how to fix it…"

Shenlong-Marron smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Look, I feel kind of bad for nearly getting you killed and all. To be honest, I didn't expect it to get that bad. So, if you want, I'll help you out. Think of it as another favour."

A real smile spread across Marron's face.

*   *   *   *   *   *

A figure that looked remarkably like Marron walked up to the front door of Capsule Corp. and rang the doorbell. Bulma opened the door.

"Oh…Marron…hello," she stammered. With a quick glance behind her, Bulma lowered her voice. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but Bra told me if you or Goten came to tell you to 'fuck off and die'. Trunks didn't say anything against it either."

"I thought they might have," Marron sighed.

"You know I would let you in…Goten came too. I think he's outside Bra's window…"

"Bulma, please, I need to talk to both Bra and Trunks. It's very important that I do."

Bulma gave in, and let Marron pass by her. There was something in the girl's voice that made it almost impossible to disobey her request. As Marron continued on towards Bra's room, Bulma called out, "Good luck."

Meanwhile, in Bra's room, the Saiya-jin Princess was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine and trying to ignore the voice that was calling from outside her window. Despite having locked the window, and closed the blinds, she could still hear him.

"B-chan, please listen to me!" Goten called. "It was an accident! It wasn't how it looked. You know that I'll only ever love you!"

"That's what they always say, you jerk," Bra mumbled, knowing quite well that he couldn't hear her. She wished that she could hate him. She wished that she would be able to never forgive him, or Marron for that matter. But for some reason she couldn't. She wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"Hey, sis," Trunks greeted, coming into Bra's room. "How're you doing?"

"How do you think?" Bra growled. "And haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"The door was open." Trunks sat on the end of Bra's bed and sighed. He knew how she was feeling, because he felt the same way. They had both been betrayed by the person they loved most and their closest friend. 

"How could they do this to us, Trunks?" Bra asked, after a moment of silence. He voice had softened considerably. "Why would they do it?"

"I don't know, Bra, I just don't know."

"Maybe you'd like me to explain then," came Marron's voice from the doorway.

*   *   *   *   *   *

A/N: Mwa-ha-ha! I love having cliff-hangers. Anyway, sorry this chapter is pretty short. It's the second last one, and I should have the last chapter out soon! Will Bra and Trunks give Marron a chance to explain herself? And what favour did Shenlong offer Marron?__


	9. When Words Are Not Enough

Only Words

_9: When Words Are Not Enough _

"What the fuck are you doing here, you filthy tramp?" Bra snarled. Her eyes had narrowed so much that she looked like her _jinzouningen_ double from the alternate reality. "I thought I told my mother not to let you in!"

"You did," Marron replied. "She just has a little more sense."

"What do you want?" Trunks asked cautiously. 

"A moment to speak, that's all. If Bra will let me, of course."

"Burn in Hell, slut!" was Bra's reply. She stood to physical show Marron the way out, but Trunks stopped her.

"Why should we let you, after what you did?" he demanded.

"You Saiya-jin are all alike," Marron sighed angrily. "You never seem to use your brains. You just want to beat up everyone! You don't know what happened. You weren't there the whole time. But even if you were, you both want to know why. Who better to tell you than the offenders?" Marron walked over to Bra's window, and opened it. "Why don't you come in, Goten?"

"Marron," said Goten. There was still a look of hurt in his eyes. "How did you get inside?"

"It doesn't matter. Come in; we all need to have a little talk."

As Goten climbed through the window, Bra stood glaring at both he and Marron. Trunks' expression was unreadable, a trait he probably inherited from his father.

"So talk already," Bra growled, refusing to make eye contact with Goten. She feared that if she looked into his eyes, it would make her forgive him.

"Actually, I think it would be easier if I showed you," Marron stated, and as she did, the whole room warped. In less than a second, the four of them were outside, in a place three of them didn't recognise.

"What the fuck?" Trunks managed to say. "Where are we?"

"Still in Bra's room," Marron replied. "It's just a vision."

Sure enough, if Goten, Bra or Trunks closed their eyes, they could still see the desolate landscape around them. A moment later, they had company.

"It's Bra," Goten stated. "And Juunanagou and Juuhachigou. What's going on?"

The Bra in the vision seemed to be training, so concentrated in doing so that she did not notice the _jinzouningen_ twins until it was too late. Juunanagou grabbed her from behind and dragged her away.

"He can't do that!" Bra cried. The vision again warped, and they were suddenly in a dark laboratory of some sort. What they saw next brought horror to all of their faces.

Juunanagou was standing outside a holding cell. He pressed a button, and it opened. Out stepped a newly awoken _jinzouningen_ Saiya-jin Princess.

"He turned her into a _jinzouningen_," Goten whispered. Trunks and Bra remained completely silent.

The next vision was even more disturbing. Bra screamed as she watched the _jinzouningen_ version of herself ruthlessly slaughter her own father. She tried squeezing her eyes shut, but could not block out the terrifying vision.

"Stop, please stop," she begged Marron.

Marron, who seemed unmoved by the vision, shook her head. "There is more."

The next scenes were events that Marron herself had experienced. Everything from her arrival to the final battle. Goten choked as he witnessed his own death at the hands of Juunanagou, and even Bra was sobbing openly. Trunks stood silent and unmoving, while Goten shut his eyes to block out seeing the death of his niece.

Trunks' silence was broken when he saw Juunanagou kill Bra. He screamed at the same time as his alternate universe counterpart, "Bra, no!"

Bra had now become silent. In fact, she had gone completely white. She didn't struggled when Goten wrapped his arms around her. 

While her friends witnessed the terror of the alternate universe, the _real_ Marron was standing just outside Bra's room. The favour that she had asked of Shenlong was to show her friends just what she had experienced. The scenes from before she had arrived there had been Shenlong's own little touch.

Since the vision was not for her, when she looked into the room all Marron could see was Bra, Goten and Trunks screaming in horror at everything they saw, and her own double standing calmly near them. Shenlong-Marron looked over at Marron and winked. It was nearly time for Marron to come in, but she would wait until the signal.

The vision had almost ended. Trunks had witnessed his own death – he and Juunanagou had been crushed when the building collapsed. He sunk to the ground, while Goten held Bra close. After the had seen Uub's death, and Juuhachigou's attack on Marron, Shenlong ended the vision.

Trunks, Goten and Bra looked around at their surroundings. They were back in Bra's bedroom, and they were very much alive.

"What was that?" Trunks demanded breathlessly. "The future?"

Shenlong-Marron shook her head. "No, it's not the future, but it is a reality which could be. You only witnessed it; Marron had to live through it."

"Have you gone mad? You're Marron."

"No, she's not," Marron stated, finally entering the room. "She's just a friend who owed me a favour." Shenlong-Marron nodded in support.

"You lived through all that?" Trunks asked in disbelief. "When? Why?"

"After what happened the other night," Marron explained, "I stupidly wished that I had never been born. _That_ was a reality in which I hadn't been born. Living through all of that was my punishment for my actions."

Marron nodded to Shenlong-Marron. The room warped for one last time, and the five of them were standing in the Kame House. 

"This is the night of the party," Goten stated, still holding Bra.

In actual fact, it was right before Trunks and Bra had left a very drunk Marron in the care of Goten. Shenlong-Marron showed them exactly what had happened; the simple accident that had resulted in so much pain.

"She just slipped…" Bra whispered. "You guys weren't making out at all." She looked up at Goten, tears sparkling in her eyes. "You tried to tell me that and I didn't believe you."

"It's okay, Bra," Goten replied, tears in his eyes also. "It's okay." He pulled her close to him, and held her tightly. He never wanted to let her go again, especially after what they had seen in the vision.

Trunks looked at Marron, the real one. "Oh, Marron, I'm so sorry…"

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. Sorry for what I did, and sorry that I had to show you all that death."

"So we forgive each other then?"

"Of course!" Marron ran into Trunks' open arms. She savoured the moment. Breathing in his scent, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. She had missed him so much.

As the couples reunited, Shenlong-Marron decided it was probably time to leave. She caught Marron's eye as she started to go. She winked as the young woman mouth the words "Thank you," before vanishing completely.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Pan had seemed surprised when Marron had called to tell her that she and Trunks, as well as Goten and Bra, were back together. Pan knew Bra and Trunks well, and both of them were quite efficient at holding grudges. But she realised that they would know what they were doing, and so believed Marron when she said the whole mess with Goten had been a huge accident.

Of course, it probably helped that Marron had spent an hour apologising for her vicious outburst at Pan and Uub.

About a week after all had been forgiven, the six young people had gone on a picnic in one of the parks in Satan City. Bra had mentioned to Pan what had happened to Marron, so she and Uub both wanted to hear the full story.

"That is so crazy!" Pan stated, once Marron had finished. Marron was so happy to have her own Pan back. She was so happy and carefree, and not bitchy at all.

"It's weird that I was still around," Uub pondered. "I guess you didn't really have much of an effect on the whole thing with Buu."

"Guess not," Marron replied. "I was only two years old, and the only thing I did was get turned into chocolate."

"I can't believe I was turned into a _jinzouningen_!" Bra stated, with a flick of her hair. She snuggled up to Goten. "Especially by Marron's uncle!"

"Oh, so it's okay to be with my uncle, but it's not okay to be with Marron's?" Pan teased.

"That's different! Juunanagou is heaps old and stuff."

"Not really," Trunks pointed out. "As a _jinzouningen_ he wouldn't really age. I think you guys would make a cute couple."

The others all laughed as Bra went bright red. Marron smiled. This was how it was supposed to be. She leant back against Trunks' chest, and felt his lips place a feather light kiss on her ear.

The other two couples left – Bra and Goten to get ice cream, and Pan and Uub to chase ducks by the lake. Marron and Trunks were left to mind all the picnic stuff, but Marron didn't care. She just wanted to enjoy a moment alone with the man she loved.

"What are you thinking about, beautiful?" Trunks asked, running his hand through her hair.

"How much I love you," she replied.

"Hmmm, I love you too. Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask you: you didn't have anything going with that other me, did you? In the other world?"

Marron smiled. "He hated me when I first got there. He kept calling me '_jinzouningen_', or 'daughter of Juuhachigou', stuff like that. But in the end, he seemed to change his mind. But he wasn't like you, so I couldn't love him like I love you."

"Good, that was the correct answer to give," Trunks stated, with a cheeky grin.

With a laugh, Marron playfully hit Trunks. "And here I was thinking you were less of a jerk than him. Guess I was wrong, huh?"

"Guess so." Trunks smiled broadly at Marron, and brought his lips to hers. Lost in the pure bliss of Trunks' kiss, Marron didn't even here Goten's juvenile wolf whistle. She was back where she was supposed to be. She was home with the man that she loved.

And she couldn't have wished for anything more.

*   *   *   *   *   *

A/N: There, finished! I hope you enjoyed reading this fic, as much as I enjoyed writing it. I just have a couple of thanks to shout out before I go. Firstly, to all the girls at the YamMar Faction Yahoo group, for all of their support and feedback. And a special thanks to Mar (or hippiechic as she's sometimes known) for reviewing nearly every chapter. Thanks also go to Legolas Luver for the same reason, and for having a great name, and to Bloodlust Night (who did review every chapter!). Even though I thanked her before, I have to thank Vegeta's Lil' Princess for letting me use her idea of changing Bra into a _jinzouningen_. Sorry to anyone who also thought up that idea, but she's the one I got it from. And finally, a big thank you to everyone who read the fic!


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